Good news ... and bad ... on Tauranga crime

Western Bay of Plenty area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton. Photo/file

The number of adults prosecuted on charges in Tauranga court has dropped - but property damage, public disorder, robbery and sexual assault convictions have all jumped in the past 12 months.

Newly released Ministry of Justice figures showed 8265 adults were prosecuted in Tauranga in the year ended June 30.

That is 2283 fewer than in the previous 12 months, resulting in 6512 convictions. But there were significant rises in at least four crime categories.

Those included a 20 per cent jump in convictions for public order offences, resulting in 348 convictions - 58 more than in the previous fiscal year but still lower than the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Western Bay police area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton said the prosecution figures did not necessarily relate to offences committed in that same period.

Mr Paxton said the final 2013-14 fiscal year crime figures were not due out until October 1, so he was not able to comment further until the information was released.

Tauranga Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Ken Evans said the Government might be "crowing" about the crime rate going down but what was concerning was the increase in serious crime. "When you look at the number of armed robberies, home invasions and public disorder and property damage offences, it makes frightening reading," he said.

"I think the Government and John Key, who have been given the mandate to rule the country, have no excuses now. They need to get much tougher in tackling all crimes to deter criminals and match those increases with harsher penalties."

The trust was calling for the three-strikes law to apply to all crimes, he said.

According to the statistics, there has been a 26.8 per cent rise in adult convictions for property damage and environmental pollution offences, resulting in 378 convictions compared with 298 the previous year.

Abduction/harassment convictions rose 21.5 per cent from 567 to 592, while there was a 38 per cent increase in robbery/extortion and related prosecutions, resulting in an 80 per cent jump in robbery convictions.

Almost 300 adults were prosecuted for sexual assault and related offences, with a 10 per cent increase in convictions.

Prohibited weapons and explosive offence convictions also jumped 10 per cent, and there was a 4.4 per cent increase in the number of people convicted for acts of violence intended to cause injury.

However, fewer people were prosecuted for fraud, deception and related offences, as well as illicit drug offences, and there was a drop in the number of burglary and unlawful entry convictions.

Traffic and vehicle regulatory offence prosecutions and convictions also dropped.